There’s something strange and frightening happening in the middle of
New York City’s Central Park; something whispered to have been
intentionally kept secret; something that players are compelled to
explore in Alone in the Dark.

Known today as a safe haven
for New Yorkers yearning for relief from the stresses of their chaotic
metropolis, history records that Central Park was built on a useless
swamp, yet as the New York City skyline hurtled towards the sky over the
last 150 years, making the city the most expensive real estate in the
world, the park has remained untouched. Why? Civic pride? Perhaps, but
the recent strange happenings in and around the park are casting doubt
on that, doubts that require investigating.

The return of an iconic series

Paranormal PI Edward Carnby..

Stunningly spooky views of NYC..

The odd wildlife of Central Park..

A whole new inventory system..

Enter Edward Carnby, Paranormal InvestigatorDespite the title, Alone in the Dark
is actually the fifth game in a series that dates back to 1992 and
centers around the experiences of Edward "the reptile" Carnby. A
paranormal investigator by trade, Carnby is looking for answers to the
strange events and horrific creatures reported in and around the park,
but gets more than he bargained for when all the mysteries and terrors
of the park spill out over the course of one apocalyptic night. It’s the
player’s task to avoid the new frightening dangers of the park as you
search for the answers to what these supernatural occurrences mean and
why they are happening.

Gameplay Based on Full Player ImmersionPacked full of action and vivid in its realism Alone in the Dark
goes to the extreme to keep players engaged and immersed by plunging
them into the heart of the action in real-time at every turn and
challenging them to survive using full movement control. The goal here
is to allow players to do or at least feel that they can do more or less
whatever is possible in real life, within the game.

Need to avoid
a blast of steam or an eruption of fire that has shot up in your path?
You can simply side-step it or you can handle the obstacle with a little
more panache by using the environment around you, for example by
swinging around it using reachable pipes or wires. In another situation
you may be challenged by attacking monsters. No problem. You can take
the path of least resistance, again by side-stepping them or placing an
obstacle between yourself and them, but if you are feeling like taking
out a little aggression you can pick up a board, chair, box, etc. and
have at it. Nearly anything that you come across that would be usable in
real life is usable in game and can be wielded in several different
ways.

In addition, game developer Eden Studios has done away with a
few in-game conventions in favour of real life upgrades. Instead of
old-fashioned health bars Alone in the Dark uses realistic body
damage and physiological effects to show players how much damage has
been done to Carnby by the new dangerous nightlife of Central Park.
Basically this means if Carnby has been taking a licking he’s going to
be a little bloody. Monsters use sensory perception of all kinds to find
their victims, so players need to keep aware of Carnby’s physical
state, as well as the impact he has on his surroundings. Also gone are
traditional inventory systems that take players out of the game while
you switch or check items in your possession, replaced by an in-game
inventory system where items are carried in the folds of Carnby’s trench
coat. This allows you to stay in the action the whole time. Sticking
with the realism theme, the number of items that Carnby can carry is
limited, but since ingenuity is built into the system, items can be
combined or their uses altered, mostly with tape, so players can adjust
as challenges arise.

TV Style Intensity That Keeps You HookedBuilt around a unique television style episodic narrative game structure, the storyline of Alone in the Dark
is split into a number of distinct 30-40 minute episodes, doled out one
at a time as you play. This new way to progress through the storyline
ensures that players can enjoy the game regardless of the amount of time
they have available without ever feeling lost. Each time a saved game
is launched, the episode will begin with a video summary of the previous
episode to quickly re-immerse the player in the story, removing the
need to remember where you were or what you were doing at the end of
your last play session. In addition, every episode will also close with a
nail-biting, cliff-hanger ending to rattle players’ nerves. And when
you choose to leave the game, a video teaser of the next episode will
play to leave players always wanting more.

Vivid Photographic RenderingEven
on a bad day, and this will be a bad one, Central Park and New York
City are something to see. With Game developer Eden’s proprietary
Twilight technology and rendering engine, players can expect to see
everything from the City’s famous landmarks to the manifestations of the
evil that have been festering in Central Park come to life as if you
were there. This lavishly detailed game world takes advantage of highly
realistic and advanced cinematographic effects including depth of field,
camera focus, numerous light sources, moisture, reflections and High
Dynamic Range effects.

Whether it’s the innovative game play, the
unique episodic game structure, the advanced physics or the return of a
ground-breaking protagonist recast in the modern era, Alone in the Dark holds something for players willing to take on the mysteries and dangers at the heart of Central Park.